MILWAUKEE — It's the train that brings laughter, music, and bright lights to Wisconsin. The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is rolling into town this weekend, but before it makes its first stop, have you ever wondered who's on board operating the massive train?
Well, that job belongs to the Trainmaster, Peter Boyle.
"My role is basically to manage the train. I manage the movement of the train and manage the staff on the train," said Boyle.
This is Peter's third year as the Trainmaster, crossing from Canada to the United States. He says traveling by train gives him a sense of nostalgia.
"Most of the cars we're living on are built in the 1930s and '40s. You eat, sleep, do everything on the train," said Boyle.
See the full schedule for the holiday train here.
"You're kind of bringing Christmas to all these cities and towns as you go. Sometimes we do five or six towns a day. The kids are so excited. Adults are excited," said Boyle.
While the train brings lots of holiday cheer through the festive lights and musical concerts, it's also raising money and awareness for local food banks. Since 1999, the Holiday Train has raised more than $24.3 million and collected about 5.3 million pounds of food for community food banks.
"I feel like you have to have the extra sense of community and the extra sense of helping out your neighbors, and that's what we do. A little bit of that, but then we really encourage the people who come to the show to help out their neighbors as well. So it's a collective effort to make sure that everybody's got something on the table for Christmas," said Boyle.
Watch: Meet the trainmaster bringing holiday cheer across the country.
Peter said he looks forward to traveling into the southeast Wisconsin area every year, and to him, there's nothing quite like seeing the joy and happiness of the families together as he rolls into town.
"I find that the arrival is exciting. You're waving out the window, and yeah, seeing the kids. And then obviously, once the performance gets going, that's a lot of fun," said Boyle.
At each one of the stops in southeast Wisconsin musical guests The Lone Bellow and Tiera Kennedy will perform.
To learn more about the CPKC Holiday Tain, click here.
Get a full list of Holiday Train stops here.
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